Carving/Whittling On Vacation

One of the great joys about being on vacation is guilt free carving.  There;s no work that must be done around the house.  I am presently on the Gulf of Mexico in a leased beach house for two months.  Any problems that I see with the property are really not my problems.  Twenty four hours each day are mine to carve!  Well, I doubt if my wife would agree with that statement - but then again, maybe she would.

The main point of this posting is that you may want to think about what to bring with you if you find yourself on vacation in a leased beach house, in the way of carving tools and materials.  I have been vacationing like this for seven years, and this is the first year that I have really thought about preparing better.

I have always brought plenty of Basswood, necessary knifes and sharpening stuff, and some basic paints and finishing materials.  However, what I have discovered that I would really like to have with me is a scroll saw.
With the scroll saw I would bring a supply of 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 inch flat boards.

My reasoning is simple!  I like to whittle and whittle small.  I like to give the finished whittlings away to folks I meet.  The main things that I give away are whittled pins.

One of the joys of quick whittling is being able to whittle a request really quick, and then give it away.  I usually have some Leprechauns in my pocket prior to St Patricks Day.  Some times there might even be a trade for a beer!  The only problem is that lots of the time I run out of whittlings and blanks.  Other times a special friend may ask about a specific breed of dog, or anything else.

Yep! I think next year I'll be looking for an inexpensive, smaller scroll saw to pack for my travels.......